Unbelief Rom. 1:16 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

We know from the Bible that unbelief results in spiritual blindness.  Israel, particularly, suffers from blindness in part because of the failure to believe the words of God and the gospel.  When a person believes the word of God it is the power of God unto salvation, to the Jew first and also to the Greek [Rom 1:16].  But if they don’t believe what he said then they are blinded 2 Cor 3:14; Rom 11:25 [20, 23]; 2 Cor 4:3-4. Before Jesus returns this blindness becomes delusion 2 Thes 2:10-12.

But what about saved people? What does unbelief do to us? 

Unbelief limits the effectiveness of the word in our lives.  I Thes 2:13 The word works effectually in us that believe. The implication is that if you don’t believe it then it is not going to work effectually in you.  You’re reading it but it isn’t working on you.  You can’t see what God is trying to show you in it.

Unbelief restrains the power of God.  Eph 1:19 [17-20] Paul wants us to know the exceeding greatness of his power.  That power is in believers but the reason more Christians don’t rely upon it is that they don’t believe what the Bible says.  So many struggles that Christians have are the result of a failure to truly trust these words and appropriate these words in their lives.  It’s like a blindness to what we really have.

Unbelief diminishes our hope, joy and peace.  Rom 15:13 our God fills us with all hoy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost.  But you have to believe the words.  These subtil changes and doubts raised by preachers ae actually diminishing this hope because the reliance is upon the words of men not God.

Unbelief erodes our faith. 1 Cor 15:1-2 and Mk 4:23-25 show us that if we quit believing what the Bible says then what we had from the Bible before will be taken away.  When you and I believe what it says, God gives us more understanding and more faith.  When we don’t our faith erodes.

But, Unbelief doesn’t cause a saved man to lose his salvation.  2 Tim 2:11-13 God is faithful; he cannot deny himself.  If Jesus Christ is in your wayward child’s heart, he is there to stay.  Keep praying.  Until he or she is willing to believe what God said, he won’t turn.  You and I can’t turn him.

Conclusion: it is not enough to just say we are Bible believers.  We must believe and trust everything that God says in his words… everything all the time.